She couldn't agree terms with the T-Mobile team but the Welsh star has now signed with the Swiss UCI Univega Pro Cycling Team. Today's press conference at the Manchester velodrome was hosted by Univega's UK importer, Raleigh. Cooke will ride Raleigh bikes at the Commonwealth games and the World Championships. PLUS: Raleigh to start production of track bikes next year. UPDATE: Cooke breaks collarbone in track crash.

Nicole rides a Raleigh

The announcement about Cooke’s new team was made at a press conference at 10am on Friday.

Journalists are gathering in Manchester for the start of the track World Cup event. The UCI event is being televised on BBC Grandstand on Saturday and Sunday.

Raleigh MD Mark Gouldthorp said: It is great to have Nicole on board, she is a perfect example of home-grown talent, something which Raleigh feel is incredibly important to the future success of cycling."

The company is broadening its product range. Five years ago Raleigh stopped producing flagship, high-end bikes to concentrate on its ‘bread and butter’ line of mass-market bikes. Historically, the company had always produced flagship bikes that may have sold in low numbers but which were ridden to success by pro cyclists like 1950s track star Reg Harris. ‘Reg rides a Raleigh’ was one of the best-known advertising slogans of the 1950s.

BikeBiz.com has seen next year’s prototype carbon MTB frames and track bikes and can report that the heron wants to get back into high-end in a big way.

UPDATE:

Cooke broke her collarbone at the Track World Cup in Manchester. According to her website,sShe landed heavily on her shoulder after a touch of elbows with a Canadian rider. X-rays have revealed 2 hair line fractures.